


Some things run deep

by Anna_Elephant



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming of Age, Family Issues, Identity, Multi, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Slytherin Scorpius Malfoy, Slytherins Being Slytherins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25049392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anna_Elephant/pseuds/Anna_Elephant
Summary: "Ironically enough, that was the reason why open-minded Slytherins like him usually kept among themselves. It was not so much that they didn’t want to associate with other Houses – it was just that it was easier not to, as Scorpius had learnt the hard way."
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Kudos: 27





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short, independent two-part companion piece to 'How I fell for Scorpius Malfoy'.
> 
> Recently, a very kind reader pointed out that it would be intriguing to see Scorpius' point of view - and, interestingly enough, this particular companion piece has been on my mind for a while now (the second part is still in the making and will probably be posted in about a week or two). 
> 
> If you're not into committing to a longer work in progress story - I totally get that.  
> 'Some things run deep' can stand on its own, I'd say.
> 
> Let me know what you think! Comments & criticism mean the world to me.

Scorpius Malfoy did not exactly mind being alone. He was an only child after all - and although he had always wished for siblings, or at least more than just two cousins, he was definitely not lonely. He enjoyed being on his own.

The only problem was that he could not be bothered to study if there was no one around, unless he absolutely had to. He was just not good at concentrating on Herbology essays, Potions reports and Arithmancy charts in complete and utter silence with nothing more than four walls around him.

That was why Scorpius had abandoned his own private Head dorm and spread out a bunch of parchments and his Herbology book on one of the tables in the Slytherin common room, where he was now sitting cross-legged on a comfortable, green sofa.

It sounded ridiculous, but he had started to miss the dungeons.

He would never swap his new dorm for anything in the world, but he actually _missed the dungeons_ – which had only partly to do with his housemates, who were bustling around the common room.

He got along with the majority of them – except for those who wouldn’t shut up about their pureblood fetish, like Christopher Flint. If he wanted to listen to uncomfortable speeches about the alleged supremacy of people who would only get down to business with other purebloods, he would spend an entire afternoon with his grandparents on his father’s side. It was getting rather old. In fact, he could most definitely go without the presence of those who rather awkwardly worshipped the blood status of their dead ancestors and had successfully managed to make that their only relevant personality trait - because that was something he desperately tried to distance himself from.

Ironically enough, that was the reason why open-minded Slytherins like him usually kept among themselves. It was not so much that they didn’t want to associate with other Houses – it was just that it was easier not to, as Scorpius had learnt the hard way. Young, more liberal Slytherins from old pureblood families knew what it was like to grow up in that weird kind of elitist setting. They would sit together and suffer through awkward family dinners in comprehensive silence.

Scorpius didn’t feel like he _had_ _to_ apologize to Alexander Zabini for his grandparents’ tirades, because he just knew he understood what it was like. There was nothing to prove – they, among themselves, understood that things had changed for the better, and wanted to keep it that way.

He could still vaguely remember the first time the topic had arisen. Scorpius had been about 8 years old, when his grandparents had complained about a young wizard from a traditional pureblood family marrying a Muggleborn.

“What a disgrace! It must be a nightmare for his parents, throwing generations of pure bloodline away,” his grandfather had snarled, and his grandmother had turned up her nose. “I do have high hopes for Scorpius. You will certainly raise him better than that, won’t you, Draco?”

His father had simply chosen to ignore the comment, while his mother had answered, “He is 8, marriage is very far down the road. And as I recall, the Dark Lord had been a halfblood himself - I most certainly do not intend to oblige my son to believe in this sort of inconsistency.”

To say that family dinners had been quite tense would have been a vast understatement.

His mother had always made it very clear that, while she was a judgmental woman with very high standards and expectations, bloodstatus would not be an issue for her - in any regard. It seemed that seeing fellow classmates die in the Battle of Hogwarts because of these ridiculous concepts and notions had been somewhat of a turn-off for Astoria Malfoy.

His father was a whole different story – a person who had always preferred not to speak about ghosts of the past, even if they had haunted him ever since. But deep down Draco Malfoy had known that his son would have to bear the burden of his past sins. Therefore, he had chosen to leave it up to Astoria to raise him in whatever way she deemed appropriate - and she had sworn that this sort of lunacy would end with her son.

And while Scorpius had grown up to be someone who was proud of his own achievements rather than his ancestry, a person who didn’t believe in man-made concepts of purity, it turned out that other wizards and witches didn’t necessarily _care_ about the person he had become in spite of his infamous family name. Some scars seemed to run extremely deep. He couldn’t really hold it against people, but that realization did not protect him from feeling hurt by the prejudice he was sometimes met with.

This was something he didn’t have to deal with among those who were close to him. His cousin Flora was somewhat of an anchor in his life, but apart from her and the Ravenclaws he had met through her, all of his close friends were Slytherins. As was said beforehand – it was just easier that way.

William Higgs, for instance, a 6th Year Slytherin, had basically grown up with him, due to the close friendship between their mothers.

Alexander Zabini, who had asked him if he could sit with him during his very first train ride to Hogwarts, had been sorted into Slytherin as well.

And then there was Helena Avery.

She was also someone he had grown up with - which had less to do with his parents and more with the close ties between her grandparents and his. If there was one person who struggled more with her own identity than him, it was probably Helena. Scorpius knew for a fact that she didn’t give a tiny rat’s arse about blood purity - but she was a very proud and loyal Avery nonetheless. Disappointing her own parents, who wished to see their own daughter marrying into another pureblood family, was not really an option for her.

To be precise, their grandparents had probably started negotiating the future marriage between Helena and Scorpius as soon as they had begun to crawl.

_As if that was ever going to happen._

His relationship with Helena Avery had always, or at least mostly, been anything but romantic. There had been a brief period in 4th Year when he had fancied her, but for some reason, she had turned out to be more like a sister to him. The vibe Scorpius had gotten was always too platonic, rather _guyish_ \- which had nothing to do with her level of attractiveness.

Because even a blind person could tell that she was gorgeous.

Scorpius had never quite understood their lack of romantic and sexual chemistry until he had accidentally walked in on her a few weeks before. He had completely failed to notice that it had been way after curfew and had tried to get from the Slytherin common room to his dorm unnoticed, when he had found her snogging a fellow prefect in a secret corridor.

A Hufflepuff prefect, to be precise.

Muggleborn.

Female.

And all of a sudden, everything had fallen into place.

None of that was traditional in any sense – and most likely not what the Avery household would deem acceptable for their pureblood daughter.

Speaking of tension.

Helena, albeit the fact that she had always been one of his closest friends, had pointed her wand directly at his forehead.

“If you breathe as much as a word to anyone about this, I swear to Salazar - I will end you, Scorpius.”

He, who had had a lifetime of practice, had hidden any hint of emotion from his voice and, sounding extremely bored and indifferent, said, “Since I am not doing rounds right now, I fail to see how this is any of my business.”

Helena had lowered her wand and they had gone their separate ways.

The two of them had never spoken about it ever since, and Scorpius hadn’t mentioned it to anyone either – because that’s what loyal Slytherins did.

You might throw people who don’t matter under the bus, but not those who go through the same shit as you do.


	2. Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s she like?”  
> “She’s –,“ Scorpius looked up and met his gaze, “mostly the same as in class – wicked smart."

Scorpius had managed to finish about half of his Herbology essay on _sneezewort_ , when he was interrupted by an overly enthusiastic Alex Zabini, who had just returned from Quidditch practice.

“Scorpius! I’ve missed your stupid face!”

He barely glanced up for a second, raising an eyebrow at Alex, before he went back to his parchment. “And you look like you fell into the Great Lake.”

“I know, mate, I know. Weather sucks today – and Nott wouldn’t postpone practice. I could have hexed him.”

“It’s almost November. I highly doubt that the Scottish weather is about to change for the better in the next – let’s say… five or six months?”

“Yeah, whatever – stay here, I’ll be right back.”

About ten minutes later, Alex slumped into the couch right next to him. His hair was still wet, but he had obviously taken a shower and changed into more comfortable clothes, while Scorpius still wore his Hogwarts uniform.

“What are you doing?” he asked curiously.

“Working on Longbottom’s essay.”

“That’s no due until Friday, is it?”

“Yeah, but I have to do rounds on Thursday night.”

“Oh, I completely forgot about that – and I had originally planned to ask you if you wanted to hang out that night.”

“Can’t do, mate.”

Alex Zabini sighed. “I might hex the bunch of wankers who made you Head Boy.”

Scorpius snorted. “It’s good to hear that you’re being really mature about this.”

Becoming Head Boy had actually been a bit of a shock for him – and although he would often act very blasé about it, he was – in fact – insanely happy and proud of it. Scorpius still hadn’t fully grasped it, let alone found out which one of his professors had put in a good word for him. Certainly it would not have been enough if Professor Slughorn, Head of Slytherin House, had been the only one who had vouched for him.

“For real though, I miss having you around the dorm. It’s not the same without you.”

Scorpius grinned. It sounded cheesy, and he would never admit it, but he was really glad to hear it. “Well, look at you, getting all sappy.”

“It’s the stupid 7th Year nostalgia, I tell you.”

“Whatever you say, Zabini,” he said and turned back towards the parchment, while Alex leant back and crossed his hands behind his neck. They sat in silence for a while – Scorpius working on his essay and Alex watching him thoughtfully.

They had known each other for almost seven years now, and normally, Alexander refrained from bothering Scorpius when the latter was trying to study. He knew very well that, while Scorpius needed people around him in order to concentrate, he didn’t appreciate getting distracted by them. At the same time, Alex could be a real pain in the arse when he was bored, and apparently, he had chosen that particular afternoon to let it show.

“Who are you doing rounds with?”

“On Thursday? Weasley.”

“Which one? There are too many.”

Scorpius chuckled. “The one that’s Head Girl. Rose.”

“Ah, nerdy girl. The one with the books,” Alex said knowingly.

Scorpius looked at him disbelievingly. “The one with the books? This is a school, Zabini. Of course she has _books_. Everyone does.”

“Not as many as she does, I tell you. A bit of an overachiever, that one – almost like you,” he said grinning widely. When Scorpius didn’t answer, he seemed to take it as some sort of encouragement to continue. “What’s she like?”

“She’s –,“ Scorpius looked up and met his gaze, “mostly the same as in class – wicked smart.”

“Overachiever, I told you!” Alex interjected.

“I think she beat me in almost every test last year – it’s a bit intimidating, to be honest. And also very frustrating,” Scorpius said. He paused, and continued, “She’s, surprisingly, quite funny.”

“Funny?”

“Yes, as in – she has a good sense of humor. She makes fun of herself mostly – it’s hilarious.”

“She’s not half-bad looking either,” Alex added.

Scorpius hesitated for a while, before answering, “No, I guess she’s not.” 

Alex smirked. “I didn’t know that redheads are your type.” Now he was just trying to wind him up - Scorpius could tell.

“You asked me what she was like, not what my type was, you idiot.”

“I know your type already, but there’s always room for change. Come to think of it, have you thought about hooking up with her? You both have private dorms, it would be perfect.”

Scorpius gaped at him, looking annoyed, and asked disbelievingly, “Are you serious? Rose Weasley, daughter of famous war heroes, hooking up with the son of a Death Eater? As if that’s ever going to happen. You’ve got to be kidding me.” It was obvious that Scorpius was starting to get very irritated.

“Alright, alright, I’m kinda messing with you right now. But all I am saying is that there’s plenty of fish in the sea – and you’re letting the perfect opportunity, being Head Boy and all, with _your own bloody private dorm_ go to complete and utter waste. I mean, it’s been months since Chloe…” he trailed off.

 _Oh Fuck,_ Alex thought to himself. That had definitely been the wrong thing to say.

Scorpius closed the Herbology book he had been using with a loud thud. Then he collected his parchments into a pile with a quick flick of his wand and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“The library. You’re pissing me off.”

“Look, Scorp, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-…”

“Fuck off, Zabini.” He took his book and the parchments, tugged them under one arm – and without another word, and without looking back, Scorpius walked towards the door and left the Slytherin common room.

 _Well, that escalated quickly,_ Alex thought ruefully.

* * *

It had started in fall during 6th Year.

Since his cousin Flora had been in Ravenclaw, Scorpius had often spent time with her and some of her fellow Housemates in their respective common room – a tradition that hadn’t stopped even when Flora had graduated.

It had not been until October that Chloe Turpin had caught his attention. 

Chloe was incredibly smart, very pretty with dark-blond hair and a delicate frame, and she had open-heartedly laughed at his jokes. It had been the first time that he had fallen in love. The rest of 6th Year had been a series of stolen kisses between and after classes, and shared first experiences in the Prefects’ bathroom.

Scorpius had never been one for overbearing, public display of affection, therefore the fact that they had never gone on a real date had completely gone by him – every time they had hung out in Hogsmeade, the two of them had been among a group of friends or housemates.

He hadn’t realized that his surname had been an issue that whole time. He hadn’t quite grasped yet that leaving prejudice behind hadn’t meant that others would do so as well.

Scorpius hadn’t been too keen on introducing her to his parents, but he wouldn’t have minded either. He had cared a lot about her, after all.

Chloe, on the other hand, had been way more conflicted about it. “Scorpius, I can’t do this. My family… They would never accept… this.”

They would never accept him. That’s what she had been trying to say.

They had broken up a few weeks before summer. It had felt as if someone had stomped all over him

He was not in love with her anymore – he hadn’t been for some time now. But it was a scar that still ran very deep. It bloody _hurt_.

And of course Alexander Zabini had to bring up Chloe. Again.

He hadn’t done it on purpose, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Scorpius was now stuck in the library, still trying to wrap his mind around _sneezewort_ , when all he could think of was that messy break-up and the reasons behind it. He tried to shove it down, as deeply as he could, tried to lock it away - and very unsuccessfully so. His mind was all over the place. Scorpius had been staring at the same page for about twenty minutes.

He finally caved, and for the second time that day, he shut his book with a loud thud.

The noise was enough for a very eager 5th Ravenclaw to shush him indignantly, and for Rose Weasley, who had been sitting one table away from him, to snap out of whatever she had been studying.

That was actually somewhat of an achievement. Ever since he had started to visit the library to study, Scorpius had noticed that, if push came to shove, Rose Weasley couldn’t even be bothered by a horde of mountain trolls running by. She was way too absorbed, way too concentrated, to acknowledge anyone’s presence _at all._ He had always found it quite fascinating.

To be entirely honest, he had spent a good amount of time watching her in the past few weeks.

He had realized that he was awkwardly drawn to the way she had kept biting her bottom lip at times.

He had noticed that he was mesmerized by the way her curls looked when she didn’t wear it in a ponytail.

He had also started to wonder if her cheeks and her neck were the only parts of her skin sprinkled with light freckles. They usually got darker in summer, but Scorpius tried not to give it too much thought. He had been honest before – he found her a bit intimidating at times, and for all he knew she could be a _Legilimens._

If she was, she seemed to be more bothered by the little disturbance he had caused. She glanced up and frowned at him. “Jeez, Malfoy. What rattled your owl cage?”

He felt a bit taken aback by the fact she had noticed his discontentment and actually spoke up about it, but he quickly masked his surprise and smirked at her. “Stop frowning, Weasley – or your face might get stuck like that.”

He regretted the comment as soon as it had come out of his mouth, and Rose, raising one single eyebrow, retaliated, “Always the charmer. That’s my resting bitch face – can’t help it.”

Scorpius couldn’t suppress the chuckle that escaped his lips. “I’m sorry, forced politeness has never been my strong suit.”

Rose shrugged. “It’s probably overrated anyway. Come to think of it, I find your open mockery rather refreshing.”

“That, on the other hand, is something I’m really good at.”

“Slytherins,” she muttered. But the look she was giving him was much friendlier than he would have expected. She was smiling slightly when she got up to return one of the books she had been reading, putting it up the shelf next to Scorpius. She was not short, but she had to stretch to reach the row where the book belonged – and apparently she had forgotten that she was a witch, since she didn’t use magic to put it back. Scorpius was momentarily distracted by the fact that her jumper rode up, and he caught the smallest glimpse of pale skin that was exposed now. He looked away before she could catch him – because he was fairly sure that the fellow Head Girl would not appreciate the fact that her freckles and all the different body parts that might be or not be covered by them had crept into his fantasies.

When she walked by his desk, she stopped and glanced at his parchment. “The _sneezewort_ essay?”

“Yep.”

She groaned. “That one is such a pain in the arse. I haven’t even started. Can I bribe you to do mine?”

Scorpius snorted. “And Great Britain’s wizards and witches think Slytherins are the ones with dishonorable intentions.”

She shrugged. “It’s just that you’ve always been better at Herbology than I ever was.”

“That’s probably the nicest thing you ever said to me, Weasley.”

“Don’t get used to it, Malfoy.” The way she smirked at him made him think that she would have turned out to be a fine Slytherin. Rose went back to her desk, gathered her things, put them in her bag and turned towards him again, before saying, “I’ll see you on Thursday?”

“Yep,” he answered, and before Scorpius could stop himself, he said, “Looking forward to it.” And because he couldn’t think of anything better to cover up his slip, he bloody _winked_ at her.

What in Salazar Slytherin’s name was wrong with him?

It was quite obvious that Rose didn’t take him seriously at all. She rolled her eyes and retaliated, “I’m sure you do.”

 _I actually am_ , Scorpius thought to himself, as he watched her walk away.

* * *

The following morning Scorpius woke up with the fragments of a strange dream, filled with sounds of content sighs and images of pale skin full of light freckles and outrageously messy curls sprawled out on his sheets.

He muttered a curse to no one but himself and ran a desperate hand over his face.

Now that Alex had planted ideas in his head, he had apparently gone from dreaming about memories of his ex-girlfriend to fantasies about Rose Weasley – something else that was never going to happen.

“Brilliant,” he murmured. Scorpius was definitely going to kill Zabini.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter canon by J. K. Rowling. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of JK Rowling. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. I do not profit from publishing this story. No copyright infringement is intended.


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